


Friends are the family you choose

by cellardoors_and_petrichor



Series: I love you and I like you: A collection of ficlets [1]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Ficlet, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Spoilers 03x05
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-20
Updated: 2015-01-20
Packaged: 2018-03-08 10:14:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3205511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cellardoors_and_petrichor/pseuds/cellardoors_and_petrichor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Felicity's confrontation with Cooper drains her.<br/>Oliver helps her pick up the pieces.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Friends are the family you choose

_They shaped the person you are today. And you know how I feel about her._

 

-

 

Felicity’s mother had left a few hours ago, leaving her home deafeningly quiet. She had put on her comfiest pajamas and wrapped herself in her softest blanket. The television was on but her mind was far away. She was overwhelmed and drained emotionally.

 

-

 

Cooper was right in that he had been her first love; however in hindsight she realized she had romanticized their relationship. He wasn’t always the kindest of boyfriends, often blowing off their dates to spend time with friends. He constantly provoked fights about who was smarter in the relationship. But sometimes he was sweet. He took her on trips around the city and sometimes bought her small gadgets she had her eye on. She really thought he could be the one. Life, however, had other plans. The run in with the NSA tore apart her heart and when she was given news about Cooper’s suicide she was in shock. She returned to her dorm – though she can’t remember how – and lay in her bed for a day.

 

She let herself grieve for that small time before trying to put her pieces back together. She stripped the color from her hair, dyeing it as far from black as possible. She washed the heavy make-up from her face and removed some of her more extreme piercings (she did however leave in both her industrial and bellybutton piercings). She exchanged persona for persona, using both to protect herself.

 

She left her place and went shopping. She visited the department store, buying sweaters and button downs and skirts to replace her wardrobe of various shades of black clothing; she stopped by the make-up counter to buy new lipstick and nail polish, bold colors that would still make her unique.

 

She purged her whole dorm room, putting all of her old self into a trash bag. She threw away all the old clothes and anything that reminded her of that life, of him – the framed picture of them, her first studded belt, her college journal. She eventually replaced all of those things with more cheerful objects and it made her just a little bit better. She focused on herself, realizing that caring for herself was not self-indulgent but rather a necessity.

 

When it came time to graduate, she got as far away from MIT that she could - and she didn't look back.

 

-

 

As Felicity tried to reconcile her memories with what she knew now, she was so deep in thought that the only thing that roused her was insistent knocking on the door. She checked the peephole to find Oliver, rubbing his fingers together as though he had an invisible arrow between them. She opened the door and wordlessly returned to her place on the couch, tired from everything that had happened that day. Her mind was fuzzy and she was having trouble focusing. Oliver touched her shoulder to get her attention.

 

“Fe-li-ci-ty.” How did he make her name its own sentence?

 

“Hmm?

 

“I said your name but you weren’t listening. Are you okay?”

 

She let out a bitter laugh; she was definitely not okay. This mess was all her fault. The virus that she wrote almost destroyed the city. She essentially gave a sociopath the ability to do anything he wanted.

 

“This isn’t your fault Felicity. And you saved this city.” Oliver told her as though he knew what she was thinking.

 

She turned towards her friend and asked, “What are you doing here Oliver?”

 

“I wanted to see you, make sure you were okay. I realize how difficult today was for you and I’m here for you. After all, we have to love our families no matter what.”

 

“Oliver –”

 

“Please, Felicity. Let me get this out: I’ve lost a lot of people in my life, a lot of important people.” His paused to maintain his composure. ”Tommy, my mother, Sara are dead and now even Thea is distant. I've felt my family dwindle since my father died. But no matter what I did, I couldn’t stop them from dying. From leaving me. It's then that I realized, somewhere along the way, that Digg and Roy and you have become my family. It may be unconventional and we may not be related by blood but our team is the family that I chose. I couldn’t do what I do without any of you. You don’t know how important you are to me.”

 

Felicity couldn't take this kindness right now but her heart went out to Oliver. She was no stranger to abandonment. After her father left, she guarded her heart so fiercely, allowing so few people to make it past her defenses. Cooper’s 'death' was a reminder of how not to let her guard down. After his reappearance, she felt like he ripped open the wounds he left in her soul. The deep jagged ones that left an ugly scar. Cooper’s words echoed through her mind. _Just because we used to screw doesn't mean I won't use this gun._  She started crying.  


“No, no, no. Felicity, please stop crying.” Oliver pleaded, using both his hands to cradle her face and both thumbs to wipe the tears away from her face, pulling her into an embrace. He murmured comforting words and just held her, occasionally kissing the top of her head. She had never been held like this before, like she mattered and she was irreplaceable. She didn’t know how long they sat together but when she finally looked up, she could see the heartbreak written all over his face.

 

Her crying spell had made her so tired that she rested her head back on his should and began to doze off. Oliver lifted her up and walked them to her room, gently putting her on the bed. He managed to tuck her in before he moved to leave, at which point Felicity grabbed his wrist.

 

“Stay?”

 

Oliver couldn’t say no, so he toed off his shoes and climbed into bed next to her. She wrapped herself around him, tangling her legs with his and draping her body over his. Her mouth was resting right next to his collarbone when she whispered, “I’m glad you’re here.”

 

He responded quietly, “I’m glad I’m here too. I’m so proud of you. You really kicked ass tonight.”

 

She pushed herself up a little bit as he tipped he head down so they could look at each other. Their faces were so close together, mere centimeters between their mouths. She lightly brushed her lips across his, something that could barely be considered a kiss. He let out a sigh and tipped his head down a little more for a real kiss, trying to express how important she was. She reached across and slid her fingers lightly across his ribs, finally resting them on the back of his neck. She used it as leverage and moved herself toward him so she was laying on top of him, one of his hands moving to grip her hip while the other slid under her top to soothingly run his hand up and down her back. She placed her head against his chest and listened to his steady heartbeat as she drifted off. 

 

He felt her fall asleep, their breaths falling into a steady rhythm. As he reflected on the night, he realized that pushing her away had done no good for either of them. She hadn’t been safer, still attacked by a madman, and he had missed their intimacy. The way she had handled herself this evening was indeed impressive, and all matter of sexy. She wasn’t a damsel in distress and it had been a joint effort between the two of them that saved the day. It was always a joint effort with them.

 

And so he made a promise to himself to always take care of Felicity, to make sure she had everything she wanted and needed for she had given him so much already. They both had secret pasts and he felt an urge to tell her his stories and tirelessly listen to hers. No other woman could take her place.

 

When light filtered in through her window after dawn, Oliver spent the morning in bed with her, making sure she knew just how much he loved her.

**Author's Note:**

> A/N I hope you enjoyed this, it is my first attempt at Olicity. If you have any feedback, comments, or any prompts you would like me to tackle, hit me up either in my inbox here or cellardoors-and-petrichor.tumblr.com.


End file.
